Tribune Opinion: Greeley police right to take hard line on prostitution

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When Greeley police officers shot and killed a man during an undercover prostitution sting that had turned dangerous, it got everyone’s attention.

It may have caught some off guard, however, to learn what drove the undercover operation ­­— a growing problem in this community with prostitution.

The investigation by the Weld District Attorney’s Office and the Greeley Police Department’s Investigations and Professional Standards Unit to determine exactly what happened when officers shot and killed Raymond Eugene Garcia, 31, after he brandished a handgun when uniformed officers tried to arrest him still is ongoing. We’ll reserve our judgment about the shooting until we know more, but we are glad to see the Greeley Police Department acting quickly and aggressively to curtail prostitution.

Of course, it shouldn’t really surprise any of us that we’ve seen an increase in prostitution in this community, which is also home to a booming oil and gas sector.

As Greeley police Chief Jerry Garner pointed out, no one industry is responsible for the increase. But a population of male workers moving from community to community brings with it that problem.

Of course, there are those who would contend that prostitution that occurs between consenting adults is a victimless crime. They would contend that police resources are better focused elsewhere. The facts, however, are more complex.

Both prostitutes and their customers frequently victimize each other in a host of ways, and other problems, such as drug abuse, are sure to follow in its wake. At its core, prostitution is an exploitative exercise, both for those who practice it and those who purchase it. More importantly, it’s bad for the community to become known as a place that tolerates such activity.

“It’s not just prostitution,” Garner pointed out. “It’s abuse of women and girls. It’s theft. It’s credit card fraud. It’s drug abuse. It’s a whole wide variety of crimes. Prostitution is not a victimless crime. People are hurt by it.”

Garcia’s case, in fact, illustrates the point. We don’t yet know much about Garcia’s motives for seeking out the rendezvous, but he has a lengthy criminal record and was one of Weld County’s Most Wanted. He also was, according to police, armed. Even had the woman waiting for him in the Greeley hotel not been an undercover officer, the situation could have turned dangerous, or even deadly.

That’s why police must do something.

“I’m not foolish enough to think that we’ll stamp out prostitution in Greeley,” Garner said. “I’m not crazy. But our goal is to make it harder to operate. If you’re not quite sure if the person you’re dealing with is a cop, you might not go through with it.”